


Unwanted Memories

by ApatheticLexicographer



Series: The Association of Undead Assholes (Reincarnation AU) [2]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dream is actually insane, Gen, Ghosts, Hurt No Comfort, November 16, Tommy needs a hug, Tubbo is Trying His Best, its sad im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29142840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApatheticLexicographer/pseuds/ApatheticLexicographer
Summary: Two memories that Tommy wishes he could forgetThis is an accompaniment to the other fic in this series, Junior Necromancers' Guild! It slots in after chapter 14 and it probably won't make much sense without reading that first
Relationships: Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Series: The Association of Undead Assholes (Reincarnation AU) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138937
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	1. The death of a nation

No matter what horrors the day brought them, come sunset they inevitably found themselves back in the same place. Just Tommy and Tubbo, sitting side by side on the little bench outside his house as the sun went down and a disc played on the beat up old jukebox. Throughout everything they had been through this one little ritual had remained constant, whether by habit or by chance.

Tonight was not a break in that pattern. The two of them were perched next to each other in grave contemplation, words having gone cold and stale in their mouths long ago. The sunset, spectacular as ever, had mostly sunken beneath the hills, only a dim smear of peach still lingering on the horizon. Off behind them Tommy knew that what was once L'Manburg lay a smoldering crater, but here on the hillside the overbearing choke of ash was barely noticeable, and the cloying smoke of the Withers had dissipated to reveal an ink black sky studded with crystalline stars.

It was beautiful. He was home, finally, and nobody would chase him out again. They had won the battle, the tyrant was dead, their land was reclaimed. On paper it was a victory; hard won and not without losses, but a triumph nonetheless.

Tommy's heart ached.

The leaves of the lone tree rustled behind them. It wasn't exactly uncommon, the branches were supple and swayed easily in the slightest breeze. Only... The air was dead around them, heavy on their skin.

Tommy snapped around, hand falling to his sword. Most of his equipment had been lost in the battle, but he had found a few mismatched items in the wreckage to supplement the missing pieces. This particular sword was a bluish diamond blade, unenchanted but with a wickedly sharp edge.

The dim light coupled with the deep shadow cast by the tree made it impossible for Tommy to make out anything but the barest edges of a silhouette: an arm, a leg, the jut of a shoulder. The intruder tilted their head up to face him, pushing away the hood that had hidden their face, and he recoiled. "What the fuck."

The porcelain white mask shone ethereally bright in the moonlight, the smile engraved upon it taunting him. Dream laughed casually, sauntering up to lean against the back of the bench as if he owned the damn thing. "Easy there Tommy, I don't bite."

He spat. "You do."

He could tell that Dream was smirking beneath the mask, the bastard. "Alright, maybe sometimes. Right now, though, I'm just here to have a civil conversation with L'Manburg's new leader and his vice president. I don't think that's so unreasonable, do you?"

Tubbo glared. "Why should we trust you? You sided with Schlatt! You're just gonna make us lower our guard and then stab us, we aren't _idiots_." 

Dream shook his head, raising his arms in defeat. "Look, if it makes you feel better I'll disarm myself." He detached his sword from his belt, letting it slip to the grass, and lowered the axe that had been strapped to his back to join it. "See? Totally harmless. I just want to talk, I swear."

"Harmless my ass, you're just-"

Tubbo raised a hand, pressing it against Tommy's shoulder. "Tommy, let him speak." Tommy screwed his face up at that but Tubbo continued, malice lacing his words. "If he tries anything then don't hold back. I wanna see the hillside painted red with his blood." Tommy nodded begrudgingly.

Dream chuckled. "Thank you Tubbo. You're far more reasonable than either of your predecessors." Both Tubbo and Tommy flinched, which only seemed to amuse Dream more. "Anyway, the point. I've come to offer you a… proposition."

"I've had it about up to here with your cryptic horseshit, green boy. Get to the point." Tommy clenched his fist around his sword, withdrawing it a few centimeters from its sheath in warning.

"Alright, alright." Tommy could hear the grin in Dream's voice. "You won today, I'll admit that. Not much of a victory if you ask me, but I'm willing to concede this time. You have L'Manburg back and I know you're planning on rebuilding. You'll bring your country back from ruin, get it all nice and orderly, and you know what'll happen?" He didn't wait for a response. "I'll attack it again, or Techno will, or someone else, and you'll be helpless to stop it. You know why? Because you're _weak_.” He leant forward into Tommy’s space, smooth porcelain inches away from his face. “You've lost your true leader _and_ your greatest weapon. You can struggle all you like but in the end you'll still be on the losing side when it matters. You might've won this battle, but how many more narrow victories will it take before the losses start counting up and your people become disillusioned? It's only a matter of time before-"

Tubbo gritted his teeth, the hand that gripped Tommy's shoulder the only thing stopping the younger boy from lunging. "I really can't see what you're trying to propose here, I'll be honest."

Dream's voice spiked with irritation and he straightened up. "I haven't gotten to that part yet. Look, on your own L'Manburg is weak and doesn’t stand a chance, but if you were to join with me you would have all the strength in the world. Not even Technoblade would be a threat to you." 

Tommy choked. "W-what? You must’ve actually lost it!"

Dream ignored him. "My _proposal_ , Tubbo, is this. Rescind your independence and rejoin the Dream SMP. In return I pledge to defend your people as I do the rest of my citizens. There won't even be any kind of penalty imposed on them for past disobedience! And, as long as you play by my rules, I’ll even let you keep power as the first Mayor. This is the _only_ way you can keep your people safe, Tubbo"

The hand on Tommy's shoulder clenched and he knew that come the morning he'd have finger-shaped bruises. "Shut your fucking mouth before I make you, bitch. You're so full of shit!"

"Tommy, please." Tubbo's voice shook.

Dream sighed. "Look, you don't have to decide immediately. I'll be generous even, you can have a week to sit on it. You just need to decide what you value more: power and land or the lives of your people." He pushed himself away from the bench, ducking to collect his weapons. "Same place in one week. No more second chances." He withdrew an ender pearl from the folds of his cloak and tossed it off into the distance, vanishing with a spark of green a moment later.

Tommy was fuming. "How- how fucking _dare_ he? That piece of shit has no goddamn right to look down on us like that, he's so condescending, I can't believe he'd have the fucking audacity to even _suggest_ that! I’m gonna-"

_"TOMMY! GOD, WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP?"_ The hand dropped from Tommy's shoulder. "Please!" Tubbo sucked in a breath. “I’m trying to think!”

Tommy stilled. “What, you’re not seriously considering it?” His tone was joking but Tubbo stared back at him gravely. “Big T, man, this is a fucked up prank.”

“It’s not a _prank_ , Tommy.” Tubbo’ shoulders sunk. “Fuck it, what if he’s right?”

“He’s not! He’s full of shit, Tubbo, you know that! He just wants to get under your skin, make you start doubting yourself!”

“HE IS RIGHT!” Tubbo exploded. “Tommy, L’Manburg is a fucking wreck! Even _if_ you ignore the goddamn crater, which is a big fucking if, everyone’s either wounded or hate each other’s guts over what happened under Schlatt, and maybe if I was Wilbur I could fix it but I’m _not_ , I’m just-” He gasped for breath, shuddering. “I’m just _me_ , Tommy. And maybe, _maybe_ I could pull everyone together, just about, but what happens next time there’s a war? I’m not a warrior like Techno, I’m not charismatic like Wilbur, I’m only president at all because _you_ turned it down!” The silence dragged for a few seconds before he spoke up again, voice just a murmur. “We’ve already lost Wilbur, I can’t let us lose anyone else.”

They had risen from the bench at some point and were standing defensively opposite each other, a few feet that felt like miles separating them. Tommy balled his hand up into a fist, readying a punch he knew he could never stoop so low as to deliver. “So what, you’re just gonna hand L’Manburg over to Dream and pray to the Sky Gods that he doesn’t destroy it for shits and giggles? You’ll just trust in his good fuckin nature?”

Tubbo sobbed, hands flying up to grab at his hair. He tugged at it hard enough to turn his knuckles white, exposing the tips of the horns he tried so hard to hide. _“MAYBE?_ I don’t want to, I _don’t_ , but what if there’s no other choice?” His eyes were wide and pleading, sky blue clouded over with tears. “I just want everyone to be happy, Tommy.”

Maybe if Tommy had known that it would be the last time he ever saw Tubbo he would have acted differently. He might've called out, might've made an attempt to heal the rapidly forming rift between them. All the diamonds in the world could not have bought him the gift of foresight, however, and anger blurred his judgement.

Tommy swallowed, flexing his hands and forcefully releasing his fists. He lowered his gaze to the ground, voice a hoarse whisper when he spoke. “I think you should go.”

There was no response, only a small, gasped sob, followed by the sound of quiet footsteps and the rustle of leaves. When he finally raised his head again he was completely

utterly

alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Tommy was frigid. He rubbed his hands together, trying to produce friction, but they just seemed to slide off each other as if he had already turned to ice. He stared at them miserably, his skin appearing grey in the dim light of the cave. His eyes fluttered shut in defeat as he tipped his head back to rest against the wall.

He had left the day Tubbo gave L’Manburg up to Dream. He couldn’t bear to see the boy he had once called a friend, a brother even, just throwing away everything they had dedicated their lives to. He slunk away while everyone else was at the signing over ceremony and never looked back.

He had fled to the one place he knew would be safe. The explosion had filled the tunnels that lead back to L’Manburg with rubble, sealing off every exit but the tiny cave they had first dug out of the hillside. Pogtopia was cold, empty, and alone, but it was _his_. 

He didn’t know how long he had been down in the cave, although at an estimate it had probably been at least a month. He had ventured up regularly at first to hunt and cut firewood but after about a week he had almost run into a search party. They were looking for him, if the fact that they kept calling out his name was any indication. He had just been collecting a rabbit he had shot when he heard their shouts from somewhere nearby. He managed to use the thick trees as cover and slip away without being noticed, thankfully, and none of the party seemed to know where Pogtopia was to check it, but it had been far too much of a close call for his liking. He stopped daring to venture out to the surface after that.

But it was fine. It was fine! Time blurred together, night and day becoming indistinguishable, but he didn’t want to see the sunset anyway. He still had food, too, at least theoretically; Techno’s potato farm was still in fully working condition but he could never quite bring himself to go near it. It didn’t really matter, he wasn’t even that hungry.

His energy drained gradually over time. It became too much effort to climb to the upper levels of the ravine, then too much to pace around the bottom, until finally all he could do was sit curled up on the cold stone of the cave’s natural floor while frost gnawed at his bones. He would go back to L’Manburg eventually, probably, maybe. Once Tubbo had had enough time to see reason, to see how fucking stupid he had been. He would go back when he damn well felt like it. Right now all he felt like was sitting in the dirt surrounded by soured memories, wishing that things could have gone differently.

Tommy had become attuned to the usual sounds of the cave, so when he heard something echoing discordantly through the ravine over the quiet hum of the nether portal he was jarred abruptly out of the reminiscent trance he had been dozing in. What was it? Dripping water? No, too harsh. Not bats or spiders either, they didn’t make tapping sounds. The noise grew louder, closer, before it stopped what felt like it must be directly in front of him. Tommy shivered, his eyes refusing to open. “Hello?” His voice cracked, thin and dry with disuse.

There was a throaty chuckle before syrupy words dripped into the air around him, warm and sickly sweet. “Hello, TommyInnit. Miss me?”

The lethargy melted away in a snap and he bolted upright, blinking the tiredness from his eyes. He swallowed thickly before rasping. _“Dream.”_

Dream giggled. “The one and only.” He paced a little way away, spreading his arms out. “I knew we’d find you here, but I didn’t want to visit until a good amount of time had passed. I figured you needed a while in isolation to really learn your lesson.”

Tommy struggled to his feet, but his legs felt numb. He slumped against the wall instead, a hand braced on the stone for support. “You sound like such a bloody psychopath, you know that? You’re fucked in the head.”

Dream tapped a gloved hand against the cheek of his mask. “Now that’s not a very nice thing to say. Maybe you haven’t learned your lesson after all.”

Tommy gritted his teeth. “What lesson?”

Dream barked out a laugh. “Your _lesson_ , Tommy, is that it is useless to oppose me. You can try to kill me, you can start petty little wars and send armies after me, but in the end I will always win. Because Tommy, I told you this already and Tubbo understood, but you’re so stubborn, aren’t you? Tommy, you're _weak_.” 

Dream loomed over him, slowly advancing. Tommy talked a lot of shit about being big, being powerful, being intimidating, but right now he had never felt smaller. “You’re just a child. You play these silly games; chase after discs, try and play make-believe at starting your own country, it doesn’t matter. What I say goes. I think you understood that once, too, but then your brothers showed up. They corrupted you, Tommy. Wilbur tried to turn your little games into a real revolution, as if a few kids in diamond armour could really overthrow me. And I humored him, because I knew it’d end up like this eventually, with him dead and L’Manburg back in my grasp.” 

He leaned over Tommy, empty carvings boring into Tommy’s eyes. “Tommy, I know you don’t believe me but I really do want what’s best for everybody. And unfortunately, you just aren’t it. I thought that maybe I could save you, but this little _stunt_ of yours has just proven to me that you’re too far gone.”

Tommy probably should have been crying. If he had been his usual self he was sure his face would have been flushed with anger and streaked by hot tears, but here and now he just felt empty. He blinked, wondering if it was a fluke and the tears had simply welled up in his eyes, but his cheeks remained dry and his skin remained cold. He stared stonily back at Dream. “Are you going to kill me?”

At that Dream _laughed_. Not sarcastically, or coldly, or even harshly, but like he had just heard the funniest joke of his life. He buckled over, wheezing in a way Tommy vaguely remembered seeing him do in the distant days when he would have still considered the man a friend. Dream giggled helplessly, reaching a hand up beneath his mask as if to wipe away tears. “Oh, _Tommy_. There wouldn’t be much point in that, would there? After all,” Tommy frowned, flinching away as Dream reached up a hand to grab his jaw, tugging his head down harshly to face the floor where he had been sitting.

“ _You’re already dead.”_

Tommy stared at the body curled up on the cold, hard ground, and for the first time in his life he wished he could cry.


End file.
